FAO Technology Review: Newcastle Disease
Keeping poultry makes a substantial contribution to household food security throughout in the developing world. They help diversify incomes as well as providing quality food, energy, fertilizer and a renewable asset in over 80 percent of rural households. Poultry keeping also helps to sustain the village economy and contributes to the prevention of urban migration. The benefits derived from keeping poultry go directly to the rural poor and, in most cases, to the women in their capacity as active caretakers.
Small-scale poultry production however suffers from number of constraints including poor animal health, especially Newcastle Disease, as well as insufficient nutrition and poor housing. Together, these factors result in high losses and corresponding low levels of productivity. Overcoming these constraints could substantially increase productivity would result in real and direct benefits of the farmers themselves.
One of the principal constraints to increasing small-scale poultry production is Newcastle Disease (ND). This acute viral disease can typically kill up to 80 percent of unprotected poultry in rural areas and is found throughout the developing world. The disease is spread by contact between birds and is exacerbated by birds being mixed together in rural markets, although many aspects of the epidemiology of the disease in the village situation is not yet fully understood.
This technical review is written by three of the foremost experts in the field of Newcastle Disease control in the developing world. It presents the latest understanding of Newcastle Disease, its characteristics, epidemiology, symptoms and control. It will be of practical value to state and private veterinarians and to all those involved with rural poultry production and wishing to control this disease.
FAO acknowledges and commends the effort that the authors have put into making this such a comprehensive and valuable reference for those involved in the control of Newcastle Disease in the developing world. The views expressed are, however, those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of FAO.
